All Resources

Journal Article

Geology on a Sand Budget

Earth science teaches know how frustrating it can be to spend hundreds of dollars on three-dimensional (3-D) models of Earth’s geologic features, only to use the models for a few class periods. To avoid emptying an already limited science budget, t...

Journal Article

After the Bell: Creating junior ethologists

Did you ever think that observing your dog, cat, fish, bird, or reptile could prepare you for long-term science investigations? Indeed it can! The basis for developing scientific thinking is improving observation skills. Through observation, students...

Journal Article

Ask the Experts—September 2004

The experts address the following question in this month’s column: Why do geckos make sounds and why mostly at night?...

Journal Article

Astrobiology in the Classroom

Astrobiology is a relatively new field of study in science, one that has found a home in the curriculum of many universities. At the middle level, this multidisciplinary field is an exciting mix of topics and questions that can help students see how ...

Journal Article

It Pays to Go to School

Just for once, skip the usual first day of school routine that includes seating charts, questionnaires, textbook distribution, and so on, and try a little science instead. By implementing this inquiry-based lesson into your science curriculum, studen...

Journal Article

Modeling Convection

Typically, teachers use simple models that employ differences in temperature and density to help students visualize convection. However, most of these models are incomplete or merely hint at (instead of model) convective circulation. In order to make...

Journal Article

Favorite Demonstration: MOM Teaches Chemistry

Bring in an expert to demonstrate simple chemistry concepts—MOM! Milk of Magnesia (MOM) is used in this practical demonstration that is simple to do, safe to perform, and engages students as they try to figure out and hypothesize what’s going on....

Journal Article

Opening the Gateway

The Gateway Science Workshop is a peer-facilitated, problem-focused program designed to improve student retention in the sciences. This article discusses its development, implementation, and efficacy, which is demonstrated by higher retention of work...

Journal Article

Commentary: Budget Science

Every student should be provided with high quality teaches who provide high quality instruction in support of student learning and achievement. So then the question is, “How do we make that happen?” Basically, there are two strategies that teache...

Journal Article

How Deductive Are You?

Students use deductive reasoning and their powers of observation to identify mystery items in a sealed, brown-paper bag. By using items such as bells, bags of water, coffee beans, and bags of frozen vegetables, teachers can encourage students to util...